The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) and Georgia Tech Research Corporation have been awarded a $1 million grant to pilot an On-Demand Multimodal Transit System Solution (ODMTS), the organizations announced Tuesday.
Part of the U.S. National Science Foundation’s Civic Innovation Challenge Award, a grant program that focuses on community-based initiatives addressing mobility and disaster challenges, the funding will support the organizations’ development of a hybrid public transit system that combines traditional transit with ridesharing. The ODMTS will offer real-time routing that meets rider demand, optimizes vehicle use, and fills in the service gaps created by affixed bus route, the organizations said.
“We are grateful to the National Science Foundation for this grant and proud to partner with Georgia Tech,” MARTA Deputy General Manager Collie Greenwood said. “Exploring first- and last-mile connectivity options is important in providing transit service that meets the needs of everyone in metro Atlanta.”
The small-scale pilot program will test how efficient the system is and provide feedback on whether or not a large-scale version would work across MARTA’s service area. MARTA is currently embarking on a comprehensive redesign of its bus network.
Technology for the pilot program will be provided by Professor Pascal Van Hentenryck and Georgia Tech’s Industrial and Systems Engineering (ISyE) team. The team will develop routing logic, as well as rider, operator and administrator system apps for the project.
“MARTA’s leadership is very forward-thinking, and they are working to determine the future of public transportation,” Van Hentenryck said. “They have been extremely collaborative throughout the process and provided us with vast amounts of data and insights to drive the process.”
As part of the on-demand service, riders who, for example, need a ride to the grocery store, will be able to use a smartphone app to schedule a vehicle to come pick them up at a nearby location, instead of waiting at a bus stop for a bus to come to them. The vehicle would also pick up other passengers nearby.
The ODMTS will be tested in Dekalb, Clayton, and Fulton counties, as well as the City of Atlanta, where there is a greater need for transit accessibility and will use MARTA’s current fare of $2.50 with transfers included. The program will also connect the ODMTS to fixed bus route transfer hubs, such as rail stations and Park & Rides.